​One particularly exciting development is the prospect of reopening the Vista compound to visitors.

​That means visitors may soon have another opportunity to explore and learn from this special part of the refuge. 

A visit might include experiencing the thoughtful and creative work completed  by the University of Florida College of Architecture studio class at Vista titled Reflective Building: Design/Build with the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. The project guides visitors through the site in a curated way, creating a conversation between the people, the buildings, and the landscape. 

​There is a lot happening behind the scenes at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors will soon see the results.
Refuge staff and partners are making significant progress on roads, trails, habitat management, mowing, signage, and visitor facilities throughout Levy and Dixie county. The goal is to complete as much of the noisy work as possible before archery deer season begins in mid-September.

Road and trail work is moving ahead at a remarkable pace.

In Dixie County, a skid steer equipped with a mulcher is working around Beaver Dam Road, while an excavator with a mulcher has completed work on Salt Creek Road and is now working its way north along the southern end of Dixie Mainline. The Florida Forest Service is also back at work with dozers after a temporary interruption caused by wildfire response activities in Oregon.

A newly acquired dump truck is putting lime rock on Nature Drive, particularly around Pond 4 Road. Once Jason Coates returns from Merritt Island at the end of August, he and a team from other refuges will resume adding lime rock and grading Nature Drive.

Levy County is getting attention as well. A tractor operator recruited from Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge will arrive August 31 and begin seven-day-a-week mowing operations on refuge roads and trails. Barnett and Turkey Foot will be included in the work, and Gate 14 has already received mowing and edge trimming. Refuge staff report that it is looking great!

Visitors are also encouraged to take a look at the habitat work taking place around the north end of Nature Drive. Crews and equipment have been working in the vicinity of the shop, or northern Nature Drive, including areas along Tram Ridge Trail. It is looking awesome!

Some trails, however, will have to wait for drier conditions. Tram Trail remains too wet to mow safely, but refuge staff plan to get to it as soon as conditions allow.
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The overall goal is to have the major equipment-intensive work completed before archery deer season begins in mid-September. Weather will be the wild card, particularly if a tropical system brings down trees or leaves roads and trails too wet to work.

As the heavy equipment work winds down, there will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to pitch in.

One immediate need is at Shell Mound, where Hurricane Helene displaced the wooden walkway at the base and center of the mound. The walkway needs to be lifted back into place and the scattered footers reset.

Dennis Creek Trail also needs several passes with weed eaters. Because this work does not have to be completed before deer season, it can wait for cooler, hopefully less buggy weather.
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Friends in partnership with the refuge are investigating opportunities to improve walking and particularly biking trails. Roads and trails that are most conducive to cycling are being identified with signage and documentation included in the planning. 

With favorable weather, staff expect much of the roads and trail work to be completed within the next month or so. Once the heavy equipment work is largely complete, refuge staff will turn their focus to another important part of the visitor experience: signs.

Six water signs around Snake Key have recently been replaced, and proofs are being prepared for the remaining signs that need to be replaced. Once the new signs arrive, volunteers will be needed to help install them.

Plans are also underway for new interpretive panels at the Vista compound. The refuge has set aside funding for the panels and for their framing, while Friends continue efforts to secure grant funding to cover much of the overall cost.
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Because the panels will initially need to stand on free-standing frames, there may also be an opportunity for volunteers with carpentry or design skills to help. The University of Florida architecture team has also expressed interest in potentially helping design and build the frames.

One particularly exciting development is the prospect of reopening the Vista compound to visitors.

Additional fencing is needed to address a few areas identified during a recent safety review. Once that work is completed, the remaining regulatory and informational signs can be installed—and the compound can move toward reopening.
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That means visitors may soon have another opportunity to explore and learn from this special part of the refuge

Much of the work taking place on the refuge requires equipment, staff, and professional expertise. But there are also many jobs where Friends and volunteers can make a very real difference. From resetting a walkway at Shell Mound and trimming trails to installing signs and helping create visitor information at Vista.

The next few months should bring some noticeable changes across the Cedar Keys & Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.
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For those of us who love these public lands, that is something worth celebrating and, where we can, lending a hand and getting a bit dirty.